- Text Size +
Author's Chapter Notes:
Please note that Death has been added as a warning due to the previous update. Hope you're all still enjoying this story and get the tissues ready for this chapter. thanks for reading!!!
Chapter 27




"NICK!!!" Brian screamed after the shot was fired. He watched as Nick fell backwards and then lay there, he ran but it seemed to be in slow motion. Jane Carter was laying on the ground, her son on top of her....a pool of blood forming underneath them.

"Nick?" Brian called again, and he hated himself. Why did he have to shoot when Jane was using him as a shield? He could hear Celine crying, wailing from the playpen on the other side of the room. She was calling for her daddy. Brian stood over Nick, his breath catching in his throat.

"Nick, are you okay? Answer me....."

"Holy shit, what the hell did you do that for? I feel like I got hit by a truck." Nick muttered, and Brian sighed with releif, falling to his knees. He wiped his eyes as Nick sat up, perfectly fine. Nick blinked and looked confused as to why his friend was tearing up....but his heart began pounding. Where was his mother? Nick stood up shakily and turned around fearing the worst.....and they were confirmed.

"Mom?"

Jane Carter was dead.

"Nick, the important thing is that you and Celine are all right......that woman was a monster. I had to...I had to shoot her or she was going to kill you......" Brian started, but Nick ignored him. Nick kept flashing back to the day Tracy had passed, the blood covering the cruise ship deck...staining his clothes...her motionless body laying in front of him. Even though this woman was nowhere near the mother she should have been....Nick began sobbing. He didn't even know why he was crying, Jane had tried to kill him, had decieved him to steal his daughter....but the tears fell heavily and without stopping as Brian held him.

"She's dead and it's my fault..."

Brian ended up spending about an hour calming him down, and Nick lost it again when the people came to remove his mother's body. Nick felt broken, just like the night Tracy had died. The guilt was pressing down on him like a boulder on his back.....the fact that he didn't love his mother and never got to reconcile with her before she passed. Just like Tracy. It was happening all over again and as soon as Brian and Nick went outside, Nick began to throw up, emptying the contents of his stomach into the bush near the front porch. Brian held Celine and tried to keep her facing away from her father...he felt she had seen enough for the day.

"You all right? That gash on your head looks pretty bad. You might have a concussion, that's probably why you threw up so much." Brian offered once they got Celine into Nick's car.

"Yeah....I just feel awful....I mean, my mom is dead, Bri." Nick said in a hollow voice, wiping his eyes and sighing. His head was throbbing and he could feel the dried blood clotting from being struck by the gun barrel.

"That woman was not a mother to anyone, I know it hurts to hear....but she didn't deserve you or your brother....she was a horrible person." Brian told him.
"She's still my mom."

"I know, Nick. I'm sorry for being so out of line. I was just trying to protect you and Celine. Honestly I think I should drive you to the hospital, you can't take a risk with your head hurting so much. We should get Celine checked out too." Brian said, and Nick nodded in agreement before they moved Celine to the other car. Nick just wanted to bring Celine and himself home to Amanda, he knew she must be beside herself with worry at this point, not hearing from him for almost a whole night. It was pretty late but they made a stop at the hospital where Nick found he indeed had a mild concussion. Celine was perfectly healthy to everyone's relief, and after Nick was discharged, they made their way back to Miami.....Nick watching the world pass by as they went. It had been a long night and alll he wanted was to go back in time and stop himself from ever calling his mother.....it was his fault she was gone now, and he would have to live with that.





Amanda held her son close as she sat up in the armchair of the living room, she couldn't sleep but Bryan was passed out, leaning on her chest. She worried where Nick was, if he would ever come home...and about Celine. The little boy in her arms breathed softly, she could feel his heartbeat as she held him. Ever since Celine had vanished from her crib, Amanda kept a close eye on her baby boy.....making sure nothing would happen....but Nick was missing.
When the door opened Amanda held the baby tight, hearing footsteps in the house. Were they coming back for Bryan?


"Amanda?"



Nick's voice was the best thing she had heard all day until she saw what he was holding.

"Look who I brought, baby..." he whispered as he took Bryan from her. Amanda began kissing her daughter's face, crying tears of joy as the four of them went upstairs.
They put the children to bed and Amanda finally noticed Nick's head wrapped in bandages.

"How did you...."

"Baby, before I begin let me tell you how sorry I am for not listening to you. I've been so stupid..."




Nick told her everything, from talking to Jane.....to her being the one who kidnapped Celine and how he figured it out and went after her. Amanda sat in silence, listening. She finally spoke after he poured everything out to her.

"You can't blame yourself, honey. You just wanted your family back and I understand that....but you shouldn't have run off like that to find her. I was worried sick about you. How did you hurt your head? Are you all right? What about Celine...." Amanda started, and Nick just smiled at her. It was a sad smile, his eyes filled with tears as his heart ached.

"Celine is fine baby." he whispered as she kissed him on the cheek.

"So why are you crying then?" she asked. He told her the rest of the story, how Brian shot her to protect him. She rubbed his back, held him as he cried but Amanda strongly disliked Jane Carter for abusing Nick and Aaron. She felt horrible for feeling this way, but she understood why Nick was upset.

"Nicky, please don't take this the wrong way, but maybe this is for the best. After all, your mom was not a nice person. She did a lot of bad things...she hurt you and Aaron. You're better off with her not being in your lives."

Nick cried harder, burying his face in her shoulder. His head throbbed and his chest was tight, his stomach was doing somersaults.He knew his wife was right, but deep down, Jane was still his mother.

"She was still my mom. What do I tell Aaron? I feel horrible...if I'd never went to get Celine she would still be alive. Just like if I never went to Aruba and talked to Tracy...or if I'd taken your offer to run away with you.....she'd be alive too. I'm to blame....."

Amanda just let him keep rambling under his breath, there was no convincing him that he was wrong. Nick had a habit of wallowing when he was upset like this, so she held him that night as they lay in bed together, listening to him cry himself to sleep. It had been a long day and she couldn't wait for it to be over.
They'd figure out what to do about Aaron at another time.



Amanda had insisted they check Celine with the pediatrition one more time, she didn't trust Jane at all. However nothing was found wrong with their baby, she was perfectly healthy. Nick told her his mother wouldn't have harmed Celine since she was a girl, but Amanda would have none of it.

"I don't trust that woman, Nick."

Nick went silent after that and that was the end of the conversation.

When they got home, Aaron was sitting at the kitchen table, making a sandwich.


"When did you get home? You were gone yesterday." the boy asked. Nick felt his stomach churn as he walked into the room and grabbed a can of Sprite out of the refridgerator.

"I was out for a few hours." he lied. His brother made a face, watching Amanda carry Celine upstairs.

"The police found her?"

"Aaron, you and I need to have a talk. Come on, let's walk down the beach." Nick offered. The two of them walked down the beach for a bit and sat down on the large rock Nick usually meditated on when he was upset. '


"So how did they find Celine? Did they catch the person who took her?" Aaron asked. Nick kept seeing his mother laying on the ground, blood under her....he felt so guilty.

"I found her, Aaron. It was Mom who took her.....I found them in Orlando." he explained, his voice tight. Aaron didn't seem to react, he just shook his head.

"Mom will never learn, will she? I guess she's in jail then?" he said calmly.

"Not exactly." Nick replied. He felt himself tear up and Aaron looked at him with concern. Nick didn't want to tell him, but he had to know.

"Mom was shot.....when I went to get Celine she held me hostage and tried to use me as a human shield from the police. She had a gun to my head."


Aaron's mouth hung open in suprise. Not the reaction Nick wanted.

"I'm glad you and Celine are okay. So is she in the hospital?"

"No." Nick said, the tears falling freely.

"Why wouldn't she be at the hospital, Nick? She's okay isn't she?"

Nick cried silently, trying to get out what he needed to tell his brother. He wiped his eyes and sighed, the waves crashing on the beach in front of them.

"Mom passed away, Aaron. They couldn't save her....the bullet killed her. If they hadn't shot her, I would have died." he explained softly. Aaron shook his head, whispering and all Nick wanted to do was hold him, but when he went to do so, the boy shoved him.

"You let her die? Nick, how could you let Mom die? You just stood there and let it happen?" the boy shouted, crying.

"That's not what happened, kiddo."

"I know she wasn't a nice person, but she didn't deserve to be shot, Nick!!! How could you let them hurt her?" Aaron snapped. Nick tried to put his hands on his shoulders, but Aaron shoved them away again.

"Don't hug me. You're a horrible person.....I can't believe you'd just sat and watched her die." Aaron yelled. Nick winced at his little brother's words, wanting nothing more than to crawl under the rock and just die there. Aaron started walking away towards the house, and Nick followed.

"She was going to kill me, Aaron. They had to......."

"Get away from me!!! I hate you!!"


Aaron ran into the house and slammed the screen door behind him.....Nick followed shortly after, wiping his eyes as Amanda looked on with a concerned look on her face. She held him and rubbed his back as he cried into her shoulder again.

"I guess you told him, didn't you?"

"He said he hates me and that I let her die....and I'm a horrible person. He's right." Nick whispered.

"That is not true, baby. He's just upset. Give him some time...he'll be fine." she offered.

"You don't understand because you didn't like her, Amanda. She was our mother and she's dead now. She didn't deserve to die....even though she tried to hurt us. She deserved prison...not death. I wish I could make it up to Aaron but I don't know how." Nick said, sitting down as Amanda handed him another Sprite.

"Maybe talk to your dad? I am sure he can think of something. Just leave Aaron alone for now. He needs some time to think about things....everyone deals with death differently." she said as she put a hand on his shoulder. Nick sipped at his can and nodded....thinking about calling Bob later.



Nick and his father ended up holding a private funeral for Jane a few days later. She was buried in the cemetary just outside of town, a place surrounded by trees. It was very peaceful and only the three Carter boys were present, along with Amanda. Nick was silent most of the day but he stayed strong for his brother. They all were solemn and didn't say much during the ceremony....but Aaron leaned into Nick and seemed to forgive him.


"I'm sorry I yelled at you." he whispered as they sat on a hill overlooking their mother's grave, watching them fill the hole in with dirt. Nick put his arm around his brother, smiling at him.

"I know you don't really hate me. I didn't want her to die either, kiddo. All I wanted was a mother." Nick replied.

"Me too, Nick....me too..." Aaron said. He leaned into Nick's chest and the two of them sat there, feeling the breeze on their faces. They'd been through a lot with their mother, but now it was all over. Nick didn't have to worry about being hurt by her anymore....he had closure.


It was the end of a chapter in his life, and although he was sad.....he knew it was for the best.